Indiana State Department of Health

If you or any member of your family own a pet reptile, you should know that reptiles can make you sick. However, there are steps you can take to make sure that no one in your household becomes ill. Reptiles include turtles, snakes, or lizards. It is now known that all reptiles can carry a bacterium called Salmonella on their skin.

There are many kinds of Salmonella, and they can all cause illness in people. Some of the symptoms include headache, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, chills and cramps. It takes about eight to seventy two hours for symptoms to begin after you become ill with Salmonella. This disease can spread easily from your hands to your mouth or the food you eat.

There are many cases of people becoming ill from Salmonella, in which the disease was traced back to a pet reptile that was in their home or in an area they often visited. A normal healthy adult can recover from this disease within five days, but children and older people are very likely to become extremely ill. Babies under one year of age are especially at risk of illness, hospitalization and even death.

How can you avoid illness for you and your family? If you own a reptile, follow the steps below to stay safe: